Most homeowners and renters insurance policies don’t cover flood damage. Current Water Levels in a nearby waterbody can help you predict when flooding might occur during a rain or tropical event.If you are susceptible to storm surge, flood insurance is recommended, even if you are not located in a FEMA flood zone. Storm Surge flooding occurs when an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm is pushed toward the shore by strong winds.For an accurate BFE, refer to the Flood Profiles or Flood Elevation Tables in the Flood Insurance Study.Ī few inches of water is all it takes to cause major damage to your home and its contents. NOTE: The Base Flood Elevation (BFE) on the maps is only accurate to +/- a half-foot.Visit FEMA for additional flood zone information. Minimal flood hazard areas, which are the areas outside the SFHA and higher than the elevation of the 0.2-percent-annual-chance flood, are labeled Zone X (unshaded).Moderate flood hazard areas, labeled Zone X (shaded) are also shown on the FIRM, and are the areas between the limits of the base flood and the 0.2-percent-annual-chance (or 500-year) flood.During base flood conditions, the potential for 1.5- to 3-foot breaking waves exists.

Coastal A Zones are the areas landward of a V Zone. Wave action is expected in V and Coastal A zones, so specific building criteria are required. By law, all homes in high-risk zones carrying a federally-backed mortgage must be covered by flood insurance. High-risk areas, referred to as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) are shown on the map as zones labeled with the letters A or V. High-risk areas are defined as having a 1% chance of being flooded in any given year, which is also referred to as the 100-year flood or base flood.Each flood zone designation, represented by a letter or letters, tells homeowners what the risk is for flooding at their property over a period of years, regardless of the cause. Flood zones are areas mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for use in the National Flood Insurance Program.Flood hazard means base flood elevation, design flood elevation, flood hazard area or flood zone.Base flood elevation (BFE) means the elevation of a flood having a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, which is commonly referred to as the “100-year flood” or the “one-percent-annual chance flood.”.Know your zone and follow evacuation orders. Evacuation zone maps are based on ground elevation and the area’s vulnerability to storm surge.

These maps are used for hurricane preparedness and planning.Įvacuation may be necessary due to the risk of storm surge from tropical storms or hurricanes. Storm surge maps display where flooding will occur when an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm is pushed toward the shore by strong winds. NOTE: Federal requirements for flood insurance are only based on the FEMA FIRM, not the Pinellas County flood maps.įind out what the flood hazard and required development standards are BEFORE you develop your plans. As with the high-risk flood zones on FEMA FIRM maps, these floodplain areas are also considered high-risk areas and are subject to specific development regulations.

The FIRM is used to determine building and flood insurance requirements.Ĭounty floodplain maps, developed from detailed watershed and coastal studies, also show areas that have a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year. High-risk areas have a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year. You should check them all to understand what your flood risk is.įEMA flood zone maps, known as Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), show areas of high and moderate to low flood risk. A home may be located in a non-evacuation zone, yet be located in a high-risk flood zone because of a nearby stream or pond. Flood zones can be low, moderate or high risk.įlood zones, evacuation zones and storm surge are different. They measure different conditions that may not occur at the same time, are determined by different methods and have different purposes. Everyone in Pinellas County is in a flood zone.

Fema flood zone codes